Location
- Central north Africa
- Neighbours = Chad in the East, Libya in NE, Algeria in NW, Mali in W, Nigeria in S
- Landlocked
Environment
- Landlocked
- 80% of Niger covered by Sahara Desert – central and Northern regions
- 90% pf pop lives in 1/3 of the land
- Most of pop lives in south – climate is wetter and more seasonal, and soils more fertile
- Capital located in southwest – Niamey
- Highly variable + unreliable rainfall
- Droughts and climate related hazards = major issue inc. sandstorms and locust invasions
- Past 40yrs periodic periods of drought causing crop failure, food insecurity and famine
- Drought in 2011 lead to ag output decreasing 14%
Population Characteristics
- Population = 3.4 million in 1960 to 24 million in 2020
- Pop density = 19 ppl per square km
- In 2020 LE = 60.7 for males + 63.0 for females
- Average LE 61.8
- 2020 ranked last of 189 on UN Human Development Index
- 41.4% living under the poverty line
- Per capita income = $553.90
- Ag main economic activity then uranium mining
Population
27 million
Total Fertility Rate
5.9
Life Expectancy
life expectancy = 61.4
Males = 60.5
Females = 62.4
Infant Mortality Rate
63.3/1000/yr
HDI
189/193
Birth Rate
43.8/1000/yr
Death Rate
7.8/1000/yr
Population Proportion
- (0-14)- 50.58%
- (15-24) – 20%
- (25-54) – 23.57%
- (55-64) – 3.17%
- (65+) – 2.68%
- In 2021 over 70% of Nigers pop under the age of 25
- Interconnections b/w high no of youth and early age of marriage and preference for large fam = Social and cultural growth factors
Proportion of people in need of humanitarian aid
16%
Factors that affect population changes in Niger
- Cultural Norms
- Early age of Marriage
- Education
Cultural Norms
90% of Niger’s pop = Muslim – favour large fam social norm = marry young and lots of babies – considered sign of wealth and power
o Only 17% of couples used a method of contraception
Early Age of Marriage
in the past 20yrs 28% of girls in Niger are married before 15 years + 76% married by age 18 – trend not changing much
o Legal age of marriage = 15
o Interconnection b/w low levels of education + child marriage
o 81% of 20-24yr old married women had no formal education – those who finished secondary school only 17% married by 18
Education
- Education – 35.05% of the adult pop able to read and write / hal of all children aged 7-16 not enrolled in school
o Only 60% of girls complete primary school + less in rural areas
Trend in IMR + CMR
- High CMR of 80.4/1000 live births / yr
- Pneumonia and Diarrhoea top list of infectious diseases in Niger claim lives of millions of children under 5
Other factors that affect population changes
- Conservative religious teachings
- Having many children = cultural ideal in Niger
- Children can share work in farming – come with two hands to work but only one mouth to feed
- Early marriages + low contraception – increased Opp to have children in child bearing years
- Gov spends only a tiny proportion of its budget on family planning
Immigration
- limited immigration b/c low socio econ dec and environmental variability
- Transit country- ppl moving from sub-Saharan Africa to Europe
- V. small neighbouring countries
- Recent surge of refugees – 180,000 young men
- Niger hosts 700 000 forcibly displaced people
Internal Migration
- Most common = rural to rural b/c enviro factors
- Nat disasters – drought etc. contribute to movement
- Rural – urban for work
- Internal displacement of 347,000 by end of 2023
